Baked apple crème brulee

I thought Andrew was a genius when he came up with this one. Scoop out an apple and bake the delicate custard inside the apple, theory being the apple will insulate the easily scrambled brulee mix. I have scrambled these many times usually because I tried to do it too fast. The genius was uncovered when I flicked through a famous old cookbook, La Rousse what someone did it like a hundred years ago!!!! And I thought you came up with this one by yourself. Anyway my genius addition to this one is cinnamon! Apples and cinnamon wow yes revolutionary I know I am incredible. Sometimes I would claim it as my own and now and then I would credit Andrew but manage to blow my own trumpet by informing people that it was removed from the menu after I left because I was the only one who could make them. Kind of partly true, they got removed after I managed to ruin another batch. In Conchar I mastered these, baking regularly small batches in Pyrex. I still managed to scramble a few here and there but it became my most popular dish, receiving many compliments, one customer traveled 3 hours for an apple and another ate the entire apple including the inedible bottom part of the core then took one home to his wife and proudly informed me that his wife had been very appreciative.

Brulee mix (about 50 to 100ml per apple)

9 to 1 cream to milk
300 grams castor sugar per liter
10 large egg yolks
1 or 2 vanilla pods
Cinnamon sticks (soft easily breakable are my favourite, think they are of Mexican origin)

The apples
I have used many different varieties, most work, my favorite is Fuji but tart green varieties are good too although can be a little trickier as they tend to collapse if over cooked.

The hard part is scooping the apple out. First you want to slice the smallest amount you can to make the apple stand up straight. Some won’t require any, then slice a small section off the top to give another flat surface. Scoop out leaving about half a centimeter of flesh intact with skin, at the bottom be careful not to go too far down, you will see that it can cause the liquid to leak out the bottom. Can be fixed with a plug of plastic wrap but best if you can manage to avoid it.
Brulee, scald milk and cream with vanilla and cinnamon, while hot pour into whisked pale yolks and sugar, mix well, set aside.

Assemble, place apples in dish deep enough to leave room to cover, then pour strained mix into each apple filling just short of top, add a small amount of water to dish so apple are in a shallow water bath, cover with tinfoil, punch a few holes in it and bake at 150.

Check regularly, done when holds shape when you gently tap the side of apple. Leave to cool covered in baking dish then carefully transfer to clean container and refrigerate until set, generally overnight but 3 or 4 hours should do.

To serve
Sprinkle a little castor sugar and cinnamon on the custard and scorch with a blowtorch.
Serve alone or with any of the following, chocolate dipped strawberries, calvados truffles, pomegranate granita, dried apple slices, vanilla or cinnamon icecream, whipped cream.